New to the site with a few questions

[Muffinman1922]

hello im brand new to the site and am thinking about owning my first chameleon!

i have never owned a reptile before and people have told me a chameleon is a bad first choice, but what can i say, i love them!

if anyone can give me insight on which type is best for a good first chameleon, or any information at all it would be very helpful.

thanks for your time and your words

 

[Elizadolots]

Chameleons are definitely trickier than many pets. That's not to say that you can't do it, but there is a lot of time and energy and some money that will need to be devoted to it. I'd suggest reading over this: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/ to get a feel for the commitment you'd be making.

Ask yourself what you want from your pet too. If you're looking for something that will learn its name and come when called, something you can take out and pet and play with....that's not a chameleon.

 

[ChamFreak]

Welcome, it seems your off to a great start. More people typically will post links.. they are very good links to insight of what may become of a daily responsability for these amazing creatures..

I would sugguest a Veiled or Panther chameleon. Both beautiful and one is usually a little more pricey then the other (panther) seeing its rare beautiful colors hints why its more expensive but totally worth the money!

I would sugguest reading as many topics as possible and start looking at breeders websites to see what you would like and most post a care sheet so you can see what to expect for there daily needs.

welcome and gl with your ventures

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum....be careful...chameleons are addictive!

Panthers and veileds are good ones to start off with.

You need to know about gutloading, proper lighting and temps., supplementing and a few other things before you keep one. I haven't got time to go over it all right now, but if you do a search on this forums you will find out what you need to know....and...here are some sites with good information to get you started...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/http://web...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=102
http://adcham.com/

 

[Muffinman1922]

thanks for all of the info so far guys, it's great to have people who know what they are talking about.

The house where my cham would be living would be a loud on the weekends. I live in a college town and my room mates would not be quite because i have a new pet. would this be too stressful for my new cham? my cham would be a floor above where the noise would be, can anyone help?

 

[ChamFreak]

this is a tough one, I would think it wouldnt be such a good idea! This is my opinion but they do stress easy.

 

[Vegas Chad]

As long as you are keeping your chameleon out of the party, upstairs and sleeping it should be fine. Don’t pull it out to show off to all your party going friends. Buy some giant hissing roaches for that.

 

[supermrchameleon]

A chameleon is the first lizard Ive ever owned. The only other reptile Ive owned before that is my box turtle. I think that as long as you do your research and understand that many of them dont like to be held and played with, then Id say go for it. Just have all your supplies ready and know that if you get a female veiled she'll lay eggs even if she hasnt mated and you will have to provide a egg laying box for her.

 

[Muffinman1922]

A chameleon is the first lizard Ive ever owned. The only other reptile Ive owned before that is my box turtle. I think that as long as you do your research and understand that many of them dont like to be held and played with, then Id say go for it. Just have all your supplies ready and know that if you get a female veiled she'll lay eggs even if she hasnt mated and you will have to provide a egg laying box for her.

im planing on getting a male panther cham

i just dont want to have him die because of the noise of someone else

 

[Elizadolots]

I believe it's the vibration that's the problem more than noise. Of course things that are loud cause vibrations. Is there a way to help isolate the chameleon from the effects of the weekend party? I'm wondering about putting a couple of layers of rugs under the cage and maybe even covering the cage with something like a quilt or comforter?

I think you're right to be concerned.

 

[eppcheck]

Although my family has had numerous reptiles from bearded dragons, collared lizards, iguanas, my bro even had a 4" foot young croc briefly when I was younger (sold when we had to move). Enough about me being so cool....

From all the reptiles I've listed above Chams top the list when it comes to high maintenance and expenses. With that said, before even getting into lighting, enclosures, feeding, etc... let me just say commitment is and will be the most important thing to have. It's probably why your here now researching proper care information and hopefully commitment will still be there when it comes time for feeding, cleaning, and when visits to the vet are needed. You've already showed your first signs of commitment by coming to this forum in search of information so I'll spare you the remains of my lecture.

On the positive side. Out of the reptiles I've cared for my chameleons are by far my favorite. They are seriously the most interesting herp you can own and I gurantee you'll enjoy having one if you make that descision. I'm pretty sure chameleons keepers have stronger bonds with their chams than any other herp owners. Because of their ability to show emotions/concerns through color changes and behavior it allows a keeper to interact with them appropriat
ely. This relationship isn't as easy to have with other reptiles.

Good luck with your search on information and I wish you the best of luck with your final descision.